ASERTTI Emerging Technologies Webinar Series

August 2012 - January 2013

Webinar Descriptions

One of the World’s largest battery storage systems is being installed on
the Notrees Windpower Project in west Texas. The Electric Power Research
Institute (EPRI) is advising the project, which is being implemented by Duke
Energy and Xtreme Power through a DOE grant.

In 2010, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
(NYSERDA) awarded $11.3 million to help develop and commercialize 25 innovative
renewable energy and energy storage projects. These next generation power
technologies will advance progress toward a clean energy economy in New York.

o Researchers at Argonne National Laboratory are developing a special
class of nanoparticles intended to cut the amount of water lost from
steam-based generators. EPRI, as part of its Breakthrough Technology program
exploring high-risk, high-reward concepts, is providing funding to develop
and demonstrate the concept. Dr. Juan Gomez will explore Texas Sustainable
Energy Research Institute’s (TSERI) latest research at the energy-water
nexus. Jordan Macknick, Energy and Environmental Analyst at the National
Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), will share current research evaluating
low-water cooling technologies for power plants and examining the interface
between energy and water in policy and energy resource planning.

Through its Plants Engineered to Replace Oil (PETRO) program, the
Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) within the U.S. Department
of Energy (DOE) has awarded funding to a number of researchers that are
developing non-food crops to directly produce transportation fuels,
including:

Researchers at North Carolina State are genetically modifying the
oil-crop plant Camelina sativa to produce high quantities of both modified
oils and terpenes. These components are optimized for thermocatalytic
conversion into energy-dense drop-in transportation fuels.

Arcadia Biosciences, in collaboration with the University of
California-Davis, is developing plants that produce vegetable oil in their
leaves and stems. Ordinarily, these oils are produced in seeds, but Arcadia
Biosciences is turning parts of the plant that are not usually harvested
into a source of concentrated energy.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) is modifying tobacco to
enable it to directly produce fuel molecules in its leaves for use as a
biofuel. Tobacco is a good crop for biofuels production because it has a
long history of cultivation, does not compete with the national food supply,
and is highly responsive to genetic manipulation. The tobacco-generated
biofuels can be processed for gasoline, jet fuel, or diesel alternatives.

The Advanced UltraSuperCritical (A-USC) Materials Development Program is
a 10-year effort led by Energy Industries of Ohio, working in coordination
with four U.S. boiler and two U.S. steam turbine manufacturers, U.S. DOE
national laboratories, and other partners. The program focuses on evaluating
identified candidate alloys to meet Advanced UltraSuperCritical operating
conditions of 760°C and 5,000 psi. Current coal fired power plants operate
at an average of 35% efficiency, whereas A-USC plants might achieve
operating efficiencies of 50% with a consequent 30% reduction of CO2
emissions. Project partners include: National Energy Technology Laboratory
(NETL), Oak Ridge National Laboratory, EPRI, Ohio Coal Development Office,
General Electric, Alstom, Babcock Power, Babcock & Wilcox Co., and Foster
Wheeler. Funding is provided by the U.S. DOE, Ohio Coal Development Office,
and 20% from Industry. This webinar will feature presentations on advanced
generation technologies and this specific project by Bob Purgert of Energy
Industries of Ohio and Stu Dalton of EPRI.